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Kaliburg
Kaliburg is the capital of United Republic of Kalistan, as well as the island District of Ananto. For most of its history, Kaliburg was actually a sister city to the far older city and ancient Kalistani imperial capital Port Davon. Since the establishment of the United Republic of Kalistan, Port Davon has decreased in importance while Kaliburg has grown and eventually entirely overtaken Port Davon. Officially, the City is still known as Kaliburg-Port Davon, but even to locals Port Davon is now only the name of the Port of Kaliburg, while internationally, Port Davon is not referred to at all. In 1912, the Republican Government passed the Metropolitan Act designed to decrease the importance of old Imperial institutions, and which reorganized the cities of Kaliburg and Port Davon into a single unified Metropolitan area under Kaliburg. Adjacent suburbs were incorporated as Neighborhoods of Kalistan, and many areas were demolished in favor of a modern street grid. The Metropolitan Act, while controversial, contributed to Kaliburg's rise in importance. The Kaliburg Metropolitan area has a population of 4.5 million people. Slightly less than 1 in 10 Kalistanis call Kaliburg home. Geography Kaliburg-Port Davon is located on the shores of Davon Bay, a large bay, protected from tides by Wilson and Davon peninsulas, and fed by the Zappa and Davon River. The cities are mostly in the long valley that runs along parallel to the Ananton east coast from Dulnarstaad to Luxon, in which the bay is located. Most of old Port Davon and the neighborhoods of Chancellery and Ellysia, however, are on the coastal range of hills, while Gallo and Lolla neighborhoods are in the inland range. History Kaliburg and Port Davon were established during early settlement of the area by Artanian people as early as 1495. Its initial purpose was a trading and military base which commanded the area between Ananto and the Mainland of Kalistan. The sheltered bay also provided a firm footing as a trading port and administrative center of Ananto. Port Davon was the first town founded, and Kaliburg was initially a fortress, which was completely destroyed, and over which remains are built the Kalistani Republican University. Since its founding, Kaliburg became the site of the majority of the population, while Port Davon remained the seat of Imperial power. Port Davon rapidly declined in power between 1878 and the abolition of the Empire in 1907, and as the Republican impulse spread across the nation, more and more administrative functions were transferred to Kaliburg. When Kaliburg passed a resolution known as the Metropolitan Act to annex the remainder of Port Davon following a series of home-rule referendum, administrative functions were moved once more into the classical National Assembly building, and the former Imperial Residence at North Park became the new home and office of the President of the Republic. The Metropolitan Act established Kaliburg-Port Davon as the political capital of Kalistan and Ananto District, folded the various municipalities previously attached to Port Davon and Kaliburg into Kaliburg as neighborhoods, and annexed a number of new neighborhoods. It also reduced Port Kaliburg proper to the port facility at the mouth of the Zappa River. Kaliburg is now the Cultural and Financial capital of Kalistan, as well as political, and is one of the great Cities of Seleya and Terra. Historic Port Davon Port Davon is located on the Davon peninsula, a long, rocky promentory into Davon Bay, and on the northern shore of the bay. Settlements dating back to the neolithic have been found on the site. Port Davon was the first site of the Imperial capital dating to 1538, and by the time Kalistan's semi-fictional history ended around 1600, Davon contained neighborhoods Davon, Chancellory and the Imperial Gardens. Davon underwent many changes since then, including altering the course of the Davon river twice, filling in Davon Harbor and Davon Marsh, and the building of numerous chateaux on the peninsula, and then impressive governmental buildings on the mainland. As the seat of imperial power moved away from the medieval castles of Davon peninsula, the city began to center around the old suburb across the harbor, known as Port Davon. Today Old Davon is simply a neighborhood of Kaliburg. Old Port Davon is divided into a number of districts for government purposes, each with their own character. Old Davon or the Citadel Old Davon is located on the Davon peninsula, a rocky protrusion of land that serves to close off Davon Bay from the Ananto Strait and the Anantonese Ocean. Its location in the middle of the bay, coupled with the steep dunes on its shore and steep foothills to its north, made it an ideal site for a fortress, and it has been occupied since neolithic times as such. Towards the northern, inland end the mountainous terrain subsides and the land slopes gently down towards Davon Harbor, now the lakes of the Imperial Gardens. The old City of Davon was surrounded by a stone wall which has been completely demolished. Inside the wall, a early modern limestone city grew, outside the walls a wooden port known as Port Davon grew up on both sides of the old harbor. Imperial City The Imperial City is the most splendid part of Port Davon, built on top of the old suburb of Port Davon by Emperor Credo II. The suburb had originally grown as an extension of the harbor, located on the opposite side from the city of Davon. The harbor was made obsolete by Sacco I when a landbridge was built across its mouth, ostensibly to provide better access to the city of Davon now that a larger city wall made isolation less necessary. Sacco also constructed a new, much grander harbor in the northeast corner of the city, making the suburb obsolete. Credo decided to take advantage of this, and had most of the suburb leveled. About half of it was simply converted into the massive Imperial Gardens, which included the old Davon Harbor as two lagoons (a second causeway was built to give the gardens more room). Credo also constructed the massive rococo Imperial Palace, facing out on Zeppelin Square (named for a military victory of his). Radiating out from square were a number of grand boulevards, including those to Sacco's Harbor (Current site of the National Shipyards), Kaliburg, and the Chancellory, a smaller palace built to house the government. Across from the Imperial Palace sat the Parliament House. The wealthiest citizens were quick to settle in large apartments around the square, and the neighborhood immediately adjacent to it became known as the Imperial City. Imperial City is also the location of Embassy Row where many nations maintain embassies and diplomatic compounds. Today, the Imperial City is home to the Imperial Gardens, one of the city's largest parks, the Port Davon Zoo, and a natural and national history museums. The palace itself has been converted into the Kalistani National Gallery, the largest art museum in the country. While other neighborhoods (notably the Gold Coast of Kaliburg) are today considered more posh, the Imperial City is still one of the wealthiest in the city, and is notable for its spectacular period architecture, well stocked art galleries, and fine cuisine. Sacco's Harbor In 1880 Emperor Sacco II made a number of civil engineering changes to the city. He constructed a second causeway (Bizena Causeway) between Davon peninsula and the Imperial city. This cut off access to the old Port Davon (which had already been more or less destroyed by the first causeway and imperial palace), so Sacco built a new port in the north of Exupery, simultaneous with tearing down the cities walls and replacing them with a parkway. The harbor would be built as a semicircle, with the city moat entering at the apex. To make it a good harbor, giant breakwaters were constructed surrounding it. The complex was connected to Zeppelin Square by Morphia Boulevard, and the adjoining areas, including Hillyarnelle, were annexed to the city. Ultimately, the port's distance from the center of town and poor protection prevented it from ever seeing serious use, especially against the competition of the Canal District. The harbor became a common launch for yachting, as well as a passenger cruise terminal, but since 1958, it has been the home of the Kaliburg National Shipyards. Its relatively shallow launch and calm waters due to the jetty system provide an excellent location for building and sailing new ships. Chancellory A district centered around the Chancellory Palace, built as the seat of government during Ananto's gilded age of the mid-1800's, and the Goor Dulnar and Goor Evearise train stations (now demolished). A middle- to upper-class neighborhood. The Chancellory Palace is now the locaiton of the National Art and Architecture Museums. Canal District The Canal District was originally a large marsh located within the walls of Davon. As the city expanded and needed new harbors, the marsh was reclaimed and turned into a maze of canals. As the harbor at the center of a sea Empire, it grew very fast, filling up with quays, warehouses, and factories of all kinds. The district was, and still is, almost completely industrial, devoted to shipping and manufacturing. While one canal remains (The Davon-Zappa National Canalway), most of the remaining canals which littered the landscape in the 18th and early 19th Century has been filled in and the Modern Zappa City and Port Davon facilities, as well as the Kaliburg International Airport are built over what was once a nearly infinite lattice of canals and slums. Tight Pass Located north of the Canal District and east of the Chancellory, Tight Pass is chief industrial district of Port Davon. Its name date back to when the area that is now the Canal District was still a shallow bay, and Tight Pass was the plot around the road that ran behind the city walls and between Port Davon and Kaliburg. Today, the old city of Tight Pass is completely absorbed into the neighborhood of Ellysia: when the canals were emptied and filled in, the city lost its raison d'etre and industrialization moved south, closer to the Port. Old factories were torn down and were replaced by working and lower middle class residential neighborhoods. Tight Pass remains one of the lowest income areas of the city, which also has some of the highest crime rates, and major city policy has been undertaken to attempt to deal with some of this area's issues. Zappaporta While most of Kaliburg-Port Davon is expensive, the city's old East Side is not, in fact most of it is downright poor. Zappaporta, the oldest neighborhood on the east side,was initially one of the few slums in Port Davon. The town started as a tent city for workers who drained the Canal District, it then evolved into a perpetual shanty for the workers for Tight Pass and Canal District factories. By the 1890s, the neighborhood had turned into a pueblo-like clustering of improvised buildings. In 1934, the Republican Government ordered the neighborhood destroyed, and sold off the surrounding land to developers, who built tenements for the displaced workers. Since then, the tenements have been replaced with towering, much more advanced public housing, but the neighborhood is still by far the lowest income in the city. Zappaporta was reorganized into Zappa City following the removal of the Canals, and efforts to improve quality of life for the residents of Zappaporta have been a major social policy effort of the mid 20th Century. Pickles Across the City Moat from Zappaporta, Pickles was outside of the city limits until 1927, when President of the Republic Henry Gallardo took an interest in the plight of the Zappaportans, and decided to create a better home for them. All the land around the town of Loolla was confiscated, and a massive planned city was built, with extensive parks, broad streets, and many of the basic amenities that Zappaporta didn't offer. The new town helped to relieve overcrowding in the slum. During the first era of Socialist rule in the 1960's and 1970s, the Pickles neighborhood was largely renewed. Much of the public housing which had fallen into disrepair, was demolished and many of the planned city's parks were consolidated into the Ellysia Municipal Country Club. Pickles was then incorporated into the neighborhood of Ellysia, and remains today a Middle class neighborhood, except north of the golf course where more wealthy Kalistanis live. Historic Kaliburg Kaliburg was made capital in 1912, when it replaced its sister city of Port Davon, the capital since the 15th Century. Kaliburg was founded in 1685 outside of the capital of Davon at the mouth of the Zappa River as a separate suburb for foreigners and merchants. It earned its name because many of its inhabitants were Kali from mainland Kalistan. Until 1725, the city remained an unincorporated suburb of Port Davon. In 1919, the city, along with nearby suburbs of Pfingsten, Gallo Vale, and Lolla Valley, were incorporated into the City of Kaliburg. To separate itself from the Imperial era, the government moved out of the Imperial Palace and ministries in Port Davon in 1912 and into new buildings constructed in the Fort Green district of Pfingsten, which was renamed Capitol Hill. Since then, Kaliburg has entirely annexed old Port Davon, and has moved back into the classical Kalistani Government buildings, with the Capital Hill facilities being turned into the Capital Springs City Park. Kaliburg, or The Tunnel District This region was originally the core of Kaliburg, and was divided into four quarters, the Narcomanian, Jerri, Neveran, and Kluptoon Quarters. The most historic part of the city, known as "The Tunnel District" inititially had very wide spaces between buildings from centuries of building on a crazy street pattern, building collapse and fires without rebuilding, and intermittent stylistic trends. This bizarre layout continued into the mid 20th Century, despite the Metropolitan Act demolishing whole towns and imposing grid streets elsewhere. Between 1952 and 1970, as Kaliburg moved to the center of Kalistani finance, massive vertical development took place, and resulted in a thoroughally modern skyline replacing a relatively low skyline. Historic stone and mortar buildings were kept intact and in place, leading to the rise of popularity of walking tours of old Kaliburg which passed between huge glass and steel buildings: which creates a tunnel-like effect, hence the name. The wealth of city has permitted high levels of maintenance of Kaliburg's historic architecture. All functions of Kaliburg city and metropolitan government remain in Kaliburg proper, and were not removed back to Port Davon following the Metropolitan Act. Gold Coast The gold coast is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Kaliburg, and stands between the Kaliburg Proper and the bay, on the outer slope of a large hill. This position made it an ideal spot for a fortress, and until 1894 it was occupied by Fort Pedro. When the fort was closed, the area became the wealthiest section of Kaliburg. In the 1950s, when Kaliburg International Airport was being laid out, the Gold Coast neighborhood was demolished. Most of the homes in the area were physically moved south into the Capital Hill neighborhood and were placed on land which became Faculty and Administration housing for Kaliburg Republican University. Former owners of the homes were only ever paid partial compensation for the destruction of their property, as the Republican Government claimed "imminent domain". Most suspected that the evictions were efforts to dispossess the wealthy of their estates under a newly empowered radical socialist administration. Suits filed against the government for the dispossession were denied a hearing by the Republican court system, but some additional compensation was provided by the Liberal Government in 2001 to descendants of the dispossessed, most of whom had died by then. Bork Quarter The Bork Quarter is the only quarter of Kaliburg on the right bank of the Zappa River. Located in the last bend of the river, the swampy area was bypassed by a canal in 1790, which eased shipping and served as part of the moat, as well as draining the area. The area is named for the early Borkistani settlers who made the area home, and who were segregated from the population due to their association with pirates. The island's position right outside the walls of the Imperial city, and on the road down south to Kaliburg, Xanadu, and Luxon, made it the mercantile center of Kaliburg. The city's largest market, the Grand Bazare sic, sold goods from all over the world. The quarters' position as a commercial hub continued into colonial and early modern days, though it has now been incorporated into Zappa City following the draining of the separating canal and has, for the most part, been turned into a park. Kalistan's National Museum of the Pirate is found in this area. Dolgarian Quarter The Dolgarian Quarter is one of the outer quarters of the old city of Kaliburg, located along the Zappa River opposite Ellysia. Like historic Pickles, it is a working- and lower middle-class neighborhood, relatively untouched by development in the interior. The river bank in this quarter, however, became a prime location for public building, and was host to stadiums, hospitals, and convention centers. Farther back from the river, the area becomes a maze of small streets wandering between 19th century apartment blocks, rarely visited except by those who work there. Most of the historic Dolgarian Quarter, especially the major public construction projects, was destroyed in the early 1950s, as the National Limited Access Highway cut the neighborhood in half. The old Kaliburg Station was one of the buildings destroyed, and necessitated the creation of the Kaliburg Metro Subway System. Jahmaikan Quarter The Jahmaikan Quarter was one of the earliest suburbs of Kaliburg and one of the first annexed as the city began expanding. Originally the home of settlers from the Jahmaikan area of Vrassa, this quarter was one of the most conservative politically in the entire city. Most of the residents were traders in the Canal District, and commuted up and down through the Zappa River mouth. Riots in the Jahmaikan district around the abolition of the Empire resulted in much of the quarter being burned to the ground. Jahmaika is now a Neighborhood within Kalistan and is the home of the Kaliburg International Airport. Capitol Hill Before 1865, what is now Capital Hill had been Fort Green, situated south of the city of Kaliburg halfway between it and Pfingsten. In 1909, an area covering the whole town, parts of Pfingsten, and parts of the Kaliburg Greenbelt (formerly its wall) were chosen to be the new seat of the Federal Republic of Kalistan. Politicians believed that the long imperial history of Port Davon, not to mention the imperial architecture which housed the government there, was contradictory to the principals of the Republic. The aim was to create a new capital complex which distanced itself from Port Davon while still being in the critically important area of Kaliburg-Port Davon. The new capital was built on top of Fort Green, and was oriented along the old south road, facing Kaliburg. An enormous green mall was built, with the Parliament at one end and the New Chancellory at the other, housing the legislative and executive duties, respectively. Later, a courthouse for the Constitutional Court would be built on the mall halfway between them. Along the sides of the mall, and filling the space between the mall and the bay, were all the ministries and offices that needed to be relocated from the Chancellory district of Port Davon. The district also laid out a planned residential neighborhood of tree-lined, suburban style houses. Following the Metropolitan Act, Capital Hill rapidly lost prominence among Kaliburg's politicians, lobbyists, copywriters, and Intellectuals, and much of the temporary capital structures were demolished. Capital Hill became a park built around the natural springs found there. Historical Capital Hill is also the home of the Kaliburg Republicans Baseball stadium and the Kaliburg National Speedway. It is now a main southeastern center of Kaliburg's population. Today the coastal sections of the neighborhood is home to many turn of the century mansions,physically moved to the neighborhood when the Gold Coast neighborhood was demolished to make way for the Airport. This transplanted neighborhood is now part of Kaliburg Republican University, and many homes in the neighborhood house faculty and administration. As a result, the area retains a parkland feel. Pfingsten Pfingsten was historically a town that remained outside of Kaliburg, and remained semi-autonomous until it was fully incorporated into Kaliburg following the Metropolitan Act's passage. It was converted into the Kaliburg Republican University, which now occupies the entirety of the old town. 19th Century architecture from the town is perfectly preserved in the University's buildings and dorms. Gallo Vale Gallo Vale is a small valley situated in the hills east of Kaliburg, and is the easternmost part of the Metropolis. The upper sections were wealthy residential areas, but the areas by the river were largely industrial, because of their location along a major industrial artery. Through the 19th Century, Gallo Vale maintained a largely parkland appearance, but in 1912, the land was appropriated to the use of Kalistan's first public university of the Republican Era, the Kaliburg Polytechnic University and Institute. Most of the old architecture and physical buildings were demolished in the 1910s and have been replaced by school buildings and dorms. Lolla Valley Lola Valley comprises a long valley in the hills east of Kaliburg, which was not a part of the city until the passage of the Metropolitan Act. Having been a farming area for centuries, the valley became the site of many bourgeois estates in the 1700's and 1800s. As the city nearby grew larger, its proximity led to most of these estates being subdivided, creating an enclave of middle-class, low density suburb. Lolla's close proximity to Capital Hill and scenic location made it one of the top residential areas for government officials. Following incorporation through the Metropolitan Act, the Lolla Valley was more or less rebuilt from the gound up, as a grid pattern was laid over the valley and the population became more dense. The Lolla Neighborhood contains most of the skyscrapers in the region known as Historic Kaliburg. Igloo and Wilson The last two areas incorporated into Kaliburg are the villages of Igloo and Wilson. Igloo was primarily a fishing village, and the shore is still littered with quays and docks for small fishing operations that fish Davon Bay and adjacent areas of the Anatonese Ocean. Wilson Hill is the chief geological feature of the Wilson Peninsula. The area is lightly populated and homes consist primarily of higher priced mansions and vacation resorts for Kaliburg's wealthiest residents. The Metropolitan Act of 1912 During the Imperial Period, Port Davon was a much more important city than Kaliburg was. All political power in Kalistan flowed from The Imperial City, and more importantly the Imperial Throne Room. But the Republican revolution which led to the abolition of the Empire in 1907 left a vacuum in the Capital. Republican elites in Kaliburg gained control of the National Government following the end of the Empire. Quietly, they began dismantling the old vestiges of the Empire, moving certain bureaucratic offices to Kaliburg, and eventually moving the seat of Government to Kaliburg's Capital Hill area. Eventually, with Kaliburg ascendant, the Republican government passed what became known as the Metropolitan Act. The goal of the Metropolitan Act was two fold: To wrest power away from the Lame Duck former aristocrats in Port Davon, and to create a thoroughly modern capital for Kalistan, free from the vestiges of hereditary monarchy and feudalism. The Metropolitan Act was passed by a vote of 73 to 52 in the National Assembly, and began the next day in ruthless earnest. Private mansions were confiscated specifically from the former nobility, who were escorted through Port Davon in open air carriages before crowds of lower and working class citizens. They were taken to the slums that they had permitted to exist while they lived in great opulence. The former aristocrats were then dropped off, and made to walk home. It was still strictly against the law for commoners to touch the former nobles and aristocracy, but all along their path, they were met with disappointed eyes, and disapproving looks. It was said that no citizen spit at an Aristocrat that day, but the road that they walked down was coated with tobacco spit of workers who arrived before them and greeted them. Upon returning to their homes, the nobility found that the homes had been looted and more than a few of them were set afire while the fire department stood by and did not assist. The Metropolitan Act officially annexed Port Davon and its suburbs, as well as Kaliburg's suburbs to Kalistan proper. Many of the old and bizarrely winding roads were obliterated, and a new grid road pattern was laid over most of the new city. Several Arterial throughways were also established, often cutting through neighborhoods and homes. It is estimated that more than 75,000 citizens were displaced between 1912 and 1917 as the new road pattern was laid down. Port Davon was officially demoted from the Major City in the partnership to the Minor City, with Davon and Imperial City becoming just neighborhoods of Kaliburg. In all, the Metropolitan Act destroyed ancient communities, and cost the Republican Government more than 3.2 billion Rubles (just over 900 million Kalistani Dollars in modern prices), a debt the city government was still paying off into the 1950s. For the dislocation and debt spending, Kaliburg built a new sewer system, filled in most of the canals which were no longer servicing larger sea going ships, and unified the city. Before 1920, the Republican Government was moved back to the Imperial City Neighborhood and new facilities were built around the city. This rapid modernization and unification of the city laid the foundation for Kaliburg's status as one of the most important cities in Terra. Transportation Kaliburg International Airport, is the chief airport for the metropolitan area. The smaller Tomas Douglass International Airport to the South also serves the city. Most passenger sea travel embarks at the Igloo Ferry Station, which serves as the Anantonese terminus of the National Ferry Company's route between Kaliburg and Eshar. Kaliburg also contains the junction of National Highway 14, between Kaliburg and Eveari, and National Highway 7, between Kaliburg and Luxon. Highway 7 travels the divide between Gallo and Lolla Valleys and gives those arriving at dusk stunning views of the sparkling city. Mass Transit Port Davon and Kaliburg are served by a number of mass transit systems. The Capitol Mass Transit Department is run by the District of Ananto and operates a subway/light rail system throughout the metropolitan area, as well as a commuter rail service, and bus services. The Subway service is available to most densely populated areas and is designed to move people as efficiently through the residential and into and out of commercial and industrial areas of the city. Consequently, the subway is used almost exclusively by Residents of Kaliburg, and almost never by those who do not live in the Capital. Education Kaliburg is home to one of the largest primary and secondary education systems in the world, the Kaliburg-Port Davon Consolidated Public Schools. The KPDCPS, often simply refered to as CPS, has over 600,000 students in attendance and approximately 930 elementary, middle, and high schools. Primary and Secondary School Perhaps because its massive size, the system is not only the largest in Seyela, but was historically also one of the worst. Only 6% of CPS graduates earned a bachelor's degree by age 25 in 1950, while only 35% of CPS students earned a bachelor's degree within six years of college. Before the reforms of the 1960s, many of the system's schools were in the process of collapse, many lacked security and teachers, and most of the schools lacked funding in general. Beginning in the 1960s, the Kaliburg Metropolitan government began passing a series of reforms that directly affected funding for the public education system in Kaliburg. Underperforming teachers were cashiered, school buildings were repaired, and a new school bus system was launched. A relationship was established with Kalistani Republican University where the Teacher College agreed to emphasize Kaliburg curricular needs. By 1985, CPS had improved on all major metrics, and Kaliburg's public education system was considered one of the best in Seleya. Neglect during the Liberal Period of 1995 to 2019 reversed many of the gains, but a commitment to public education had been inculcated into the population, and the worst effects of Government neglect were offset by efforts of the City Government. Alongside the CPS are a number of private primary and secondary school institutions. Post Secondary Education Kaliburg is home to two of Kalistan's most important universities, Kaliburg Polytechnic University and Kalistani Republican University. In addition, Kaliburg hosts the following institutions: *Imperial Academy of the Arts, founded in 1792, the oldest art school in Kalistan, located in Davon. *Fort Green School of Art and Design, established in 1884, located in the Vintalli Quarter. *Gallo Business College, established 1892, located in Gallo Vale. *Perkins Vocational College, established 1871, located in Zappa City.